Supreme Court maintains pause on Trump bid to immediately fire watchdog agency head
The Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, weighs in on a case involving the new Trump administration for the first time.
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Friday for now prevented President Donald Trump from firing the head of a watchdog agency in the first legal showdown to reach the justices over the administration’s efforts to dramatically remake the federal government.
In an unusual, tentative move, the court neither granted nor denied an emergency request filed by the Trump administration after lower courts had blocked the effort to fire Hampton Dellinger, who heads the Office of Special Counsel.
Instead, in a brief order, the court said it would not immediately act because lower court proceedings are moving quickly. A hearing is scheduled for Feb. 26.
The court, which said it was holding the Trump request "in abeyance," could act after that.
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